Saucer separation
starship.]] Saucer separation is an emergency manuever performed on some Federation starships. It involves the complete disconnection of the primary hull and the secondary hull. Prior to the 24th century, separation was used as a means of abandoning either hull in the event of a catastrophic emergency. It was a one-time only event, and the hulls could not be reconnected without external support. ( ) By the 24th century, separations were designed to be more routine with some classes being designed with reconnection abilities. Both components contain essential systems, allowing each to be independently operable for extended periods. ( ) Classes capable of separation In the 23rd century, most classes with the saucer/engineering hull layout were capable of separation, including the ''Constitution'' class. By the 24th century, starship classes were designed to routinely separate into one or more components. The ''Galaxy'' class is one such example ( ), as is the ''Prometheus'' class. ( ) :A saucer separation involving the refit ''Constitution class [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS Enterprise]] was storyboarded by Andrew Probert for a possible scene at the end of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Features such as a separation line were intentionally designed into the filming model by Probert, and are good indications that the ship can separate just like its earlier form.'' :Design sketches John Eaves produced for ''Star Trek: First Contact seem to imply that the ''Sovereign'' class has routine saucer separation capabilities, and separation lines plus a battle bridge are evident on the master systems display on the ''Enterprise''-E bridge. However, the separation abilities have not been mentioned in dialogue; furthermore, the stardrive section seems to be missing impulse engines.'' :The [[Excelsior class|''Excelsior class]] may be capable of separation; docking latches and a battle bridge were seen on the ''Enterprise''-B master systems display, and the yoke of the ship has several potential separation lines. Similarly, the miniature of the ''Ambassador'' class shows striping which suggests a separation point. Like the Sovereign class, there do not appear to be impulse engines in both parts of those ships, however, which may suggest that separation, if possible, is for emergencies only.'' Separation sequence On the Galaxy class, saucer separation was primarily designed as a way for the civilian and nonessential crew complement to escape in the saucer section, while the senior staff and essential personnel engage a threat or enter a potentially dangerous situation in the stardrive section. In a starship separating due to these circumstances, the separation command is issued by the commanding officer from the main bridge. The CO, along with most of the senior staff, transfers to the battle bridge on the stardrive section via a dedicated emergency turbolift, while a junior officer is typically left in command of the saucer module. The saucer is almost always given the directive to seek safety by retreating to a starbase or other allied territory. ( ) Evacuation of nonessential personnel from the stardrive section is conducted by security staff. ( ) Audio warnings are given to the crew to alert them of the pending event and how much time is remaining to vehicle separation. ( ) During the actual separation event, the docking latches, on the stardrive side of the ship, collapse and retract into the hull of the stardrive section. An autoseparation is generally used to separate the two components of the ship ( ) although a manual option is also available. ( ) The separation is monitored from the main bridge and battle bridge by the conn officer and Operations manager. ( ) Staff in Main Engineering can also provide support during a separation. ( ) The drive section, containing the ship's warp drive and the majority of weapons systems, is then free to confront danger without endangering the lives of nonessential crew. Following the crisis, the two sections can rendezvous and rejoin. Connection is generally the reverse process of separation, again with automated and manual options. High-Warp Speed Situations Though highly unadvisable, it is possible to separate the saucer from the stardrive section at high-warp velocities. Used by Jean-Luc Picard during the first encounter with the Q, the saucer was separated at a warp speed of 9.5. According to Data, it is highly impractical, but possible. There is no margin for error. The slightest mishap would make this attempt deadly. It is also required to clear the Saucer section from the stardrive section to ensure safety, because as soon as separation is over, the saucer section will start to lose speed, causing danger to the stardrive section. However, Picard was able to successfully separate the saucer in order to protect the families of the Enterprise from the immense power of Q. ( ) Emergency landing of saucer section of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]], crashed on Veridian III.]] The saucer sections of many starship classes are designed to make planetfall on a suitable planetary surface, preferably Class M. The saucer must be making a level approach and heading towards the ground at a shallow angle. The area chosen for landing must be smooth and relatively free of obstruction. The great structural stresses placed on the spaceframe of a landing saucer section would most likely prevent it from being returned to spaceflight. ( ) :The ''Enterprise-D saucer landing sequence was conceived in 1991 for the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual. Writers Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga, and Jeri Taylor were inspired by that information and wanted to use a crash as a cliffhanger for the sixth season of TNG, but producer Michael Piller did not like the idea. Furthermore, it would have been too costly to film on a television budget with the VFX technology available at the time. Moore and Braga later wrote the scene into Generations.'' :According to fandom sources, the original ''Enterprise had landing gear stored underneath the two triangle-shaped hatches on the ventral side of the saucer. A third leg popped out from the cavity where the secondary hull connected to the saucer. Similar shapes were placed on the saucer of the Enterprise-E as a homage to the original ship, although designer John Eaves did not realize the fandom history behind those objects.'' :For the refit ''Enterprise, Andrew Probert purposefully designed landing gear into the saucer, hidden behind the four square panels located on the saucer's concave underside. The panels were also carried over to many TMP-era designs, including the [[USS Reliant|USS Reliant]] and [[USS Excelsior|USS Excelsior]]. Probert had intended to place landing gear on the Enterprise-D saucer as well, but became distracted by other elements and never returned to the landing gear concept. As he recalled several years later, the poor ship eventually paid the price for that oversight!'' Examples of separation Tactical uses The [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]] used saucer separation as a way to confront the Q entity on its first mission in 2364. Captain Picard left Lieutenant Worf in charge of the saucer section. The separation was the first to be conducted at high warp. During the reconnection of the ship, Picard ordered new first officer William Riker to conduct the docking manually. The bridge crew were somewhat apprehensive about the plan, but Riker performed well. He safely rejoined the two sections without any automated assistance, proving himself to Picard. ( ) Commander Riker suggested a saucer separation shortly before the Enterprise was sent to investigate a possible Romulan attack on the freighter Batris later that year, although Picard felt it was too early to justify such an action. The Klingon criminals Korris and Konmel, inadvertently rescued from the Batris by the Enterprise, were fascinated by the stardrive section of the Enterprise and were excited at the prospect of hijacking it for their use in battle. They attempted to get Worf to assist them in accessing the battle bridge and separating the ship, but fortunately Worf was loyal to the Enterprise crew. ( ) Also that year, acting captain Geordi La Forge separated the ship to return and fight the automated weapons drones on planet Minos. Chief Engineer Logan was ordered to take command of the saucer section and take it to Starbase 103. ( ) Also that year, the USS Enterprise was sent to investigate the destruction of a number of colonies and bases along the border with the Romulan Neutral Zone. Before entering the area, Commander Riker suggested a saucer separation although Picard felt it was too early to justify such an action. ( ) In 2366, Commander Shelby suggested separating the ship and using the saucer to create a distraction for the Borg. Commander Riker rejected the idea, feeling the extra power from the saucer's impulse engines would be of use in the battle. Shelby briefed Picard on her plan despite Riker's objections. ( ) Later, Riker used Picard's knowledge of the plan to his advantage during a rescue attempt to retrieve Picard, assimilated as Locutus. Following the devastating Battle of Wolf 359, the Enterprise caught up to the Borg cube, then engaged the vessel and separated. As expected, the Borg focused their attack on the stardrive section, ignoring the saucer module. This allowed the saucer to launch a shuttlecraft, masked in an antimatter spread, to the cube. Commander Data and Lieutenant Worf successfully transported aboard the cube and abducted Locutus, which was a crucial event leading to the defeat of the Borg in orbit of Earth. ( ) Tactical uses of saucer separation such as these were perhaps inspiration for the multi-vector assault mode of the [[USS Prometheus (Prometheus class)|USS Prometheus]], launched in 2374. ( ) Emergency uses The only use for saucer separation in early starship classes was for emergency purposes related to crew survival. In 2267, Captain James T. Kirk ordered chief engineer Montgomery Scott to jettison the nacelles and escape in the saucer section when the original USS Enterprise was threatened by Vaal at Gamma Trianguli VI. Ultimately, the separation was never ordered. ( ) Obviously, the Galaxy class could also use saucer separation as a way to ensure crew safety. In 2365, saucer separation was considered in order to quarantine the cargo bay of the Enterprise-D when it was feared that a plasma plague strain had escaped a containment facility. ( ) When Ansata terrorists planted an implosion device on the warp core of the Enterprise-D during an attack in 2366, Captain Picard ordered a saucer separation. Fortunately, Commander La Forge was able to remove the device and beam it into space before it detonated. ( ) Also that year, the Enterprise's warp propulsion system became contaminated with invidium, causing a physical jam of the matter/antimatter injectors. The ship began to lose structural integrity as it rapidly accelerated out of control, and a saucer separation was considered by the bridge officers in order to save the crew. However, uneven warp plasma flow to the nacelles would have caused the warp field to rupture upon separation, destroying the saucer section and rendering the maneuver useless. ( ) Saucer separation can be used as a means to prevent individuals from seizing control of a ship. Such a case occured in 2367 when Dr. Noonien Soong used a signal to temporarily cause Data to use any means necessary in order to return to Soong's home planet. He caused an environmental system failure on the bridge, then locked himself on the bridge and severed all command functions. Data then plotted a course to Soong's planet at high warp. Picard and the senior staff, in Main Engineering, attempted to separate the saucer in order to restore computer control to the stardrive section. The plan was to then incapacitate the saucer with a tractor beam once the separation was complete. However, Data was able to discover the separation command and cancel it before it could be carried out. ( ) The Enterprise struck a quantum filament in 2368, disabling most of the ship's systems and causing a gradual failure in antimatter containment. Ensign Ro Laren pushed for a saucer separation to protect survivors in the saucer section, but doing so would condemn those in the stardrive section to certain death when the core breached. Deanna Troi, the senior officer on the bridge at the time, decided to delay separation and use power from the bridge to activate crucial displays in Engineering. Commanders Riker and Data saw the displays right before the ship was to separate, averting the containment breach. ( ) Unfortunately, the Enterprise-D was required to separate for the same reason three years later, in 2371. Serious damage was inflicted to the ship as a result of an ambush by the Duras sisters, and the warp containment system was critically damaged. The entire ship's complement was evacuated to the saucer and it reached safety just as the drive section exploded. The shockwave from the blast shoved the saucer section into the atmosphere of planet Veridian III, where the ship was forced to make a crash landing. There were only light casualties, however the ship was deemed unsalvageable. ( ) Background Information Saucer separation was planned as a regular feature during the early days of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Several storylines, including a B-plot for "When The Bough Breaks," were to use saucer separation. However, budget limitations at the time did not allow for extensive footage of the separated components to be shot, and it was also felt that separation slowed the progress of the story. Unfortunately, this meant that the Enterprise was sent into a number of dangerous situations with saucer separation never being mentioned as an option. Apocrypha The TOS novel Black Fire showed after a bomb exploded on the Enterprise bridge causing severe damage to ship and crew, Chief Engineer Scott ordered a saucer separation. The ship was reconnected at a starbase facility. A TNG novel, Rogue Saucer, dealt with saucer separation also as a main theme to the story with Starfleet trying to design a Galaxy-class saucer section that would still be salvageable after landing. The novelization of Star Trek Generations showed Captain Hikaru Sulu conducting an emergency drill aboard the when he received news of Kirk's death from his daughter, Demora Sulu. The ship had just completed an emergency saucer separation when the communication was received. Category:Maneuvers de:Autoseparation